Evangelion's Biggest Star Is In Hot Water Over a Controversial Attack on Foreigners, Calling Tourists "an Invasive Species"

'Evangelion' Rei Ayanami VA Believes "Invasive Species" Threaten Japan's Cultural Identity: "Our Freedom Of Expression, Like Anime, Might All Be At Risk"

Rei Ayanami (Megumi Hayashibara) takes in the ruins of Tokyo-3 in Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo (2014), Studio Khara In the face of what she believes to be a growing indifference from her fellow citizens when it comes to the idea of respecting their own cultural identity, the Japan voice actor for Rei Ayanami in the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise, Megumi Hayashibara, is calling on the country’s leadership to redirect their political towa…

Evangelion's Biggest Star Is In Hot Water Over a Controversial Attack on Foreigners, Calling Tourists "an Invasive Species"

Neon Genesis Evangelion's biggest voice actress has a massive controversy surrounding her polarizing blog post about foreigners in Japan.

Voice Actor Megumi Hayashibara Sparks Controversy With Recent Blog Post

Hayashibara: “Japan's taxes should go 'first' to those who pay them (including foreigners living in Japan who pay taxes, of course)”

'Neon Genesis Evangelion' Voice Actor Makes Controversial Comments on Foreigners in Japan

Anime fans are simple; they watch their favorite series and root for their favorite characters. At the end of the day, they feel a sense of connection to not just the fictional characters, but also the real person voicing those characters, giving them life. This is the reason that even anime fans who prefer to watch anime dubbed worship the original voice actors from Japan. But a recent event has left the fans heartbroken, forcing them to recons…

Voice Actress Megumi Hayashibara Compares Tourists to Invasive Species

Prominent Japanese voice actress Megumi Hayashibara has sparked debate online following her latest blog post. The 58-year-old Tokyo native, who’s most well known for her role as Rei Ayanami in Neon Genesis Evangelion, shared her concerns about Japan’s cultural identity and political apathy on Sunday. The blog, titled “Indifference, Ignorance, and Not Knowing,” quickly went […] The post Evangelion Voice Actress Megumi Hayashibara Compares Rude Fo…

Evangelion Voice Actress Sparks Controversy With ‘Invasive Species’ Remark About Foreigners In Japan - Animehunch

Renowned Japanese voice actress Megumi Hayashibara, widely known for her role as Rei Ayanami in the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion, became the center of an online controversy. The controversy began after Hayashibara published a post on her official Ameblo blog on June 8, 2025, titled “Indifference, ignorance, and not knowing.” In this post she used the metaphor of “invasive species” while discussing concerns about foreign tourists and stud…